Method of pitting peaches



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BY W My HT TOE/Vi 75 J. PERRELLl Dec. 31, 1957 METHOD OF FITTING PEACHES Filed July 1 1953 l O J 1 I ll I Q United States Patent METHOD OF PITTING PEACHES Joseph Perrelli, Richmond, Calif., assignor to Filper Corporation, a corporation of California Application July 1, 1953, Serial No. 365,503

3 Claims. (Cl. 146-438) This invention relates to a pitter for pitting drupes and has for one of its objects the provision of means for severing the pit of a drupe from the flesh, meat or body thereof by rotating the pit while holding the body stationary.

Another object of the invention is the method of pitting drupes that comprises the steps of gripping the pit at opposite points therearound and then holding the body stationary and rotating the pit to cause severance between the body of the drupe and the pit.

In my application, Serial No. 254,927, filed November 5, 1951, now Patent No. 2,664,127, is disclosed a device for severing the pit from the body in which the body of the drupe is rotated while the pit is held stationary and it was noted in said application that the severance of the pit from a drupe, such as a clingstone peach, for instance, would result from effecting relative movement between the pit and the body. It is recognized that in United States Letters Patent No. 666,701 of January 29, 1901, to D. A. Scheidler et al., the broad idea of holding a body half stationary with a pit therein, and then rotating such pit, was disclosed. However, in said patent, sole reliance for gripping the pit was pressure applied thereagainst in direction toward the body with which the pit was adhered with the result that the body would be mashed in many instances rendering the same unfit for commercial sale.

In the present invention the pit is gripped along its sutural edge and while a certain degree of pressure is preferably applied in direction perpendicular to the plane of the suture of the pit, the actual gripping force on the pit is taken solely by the pit and is not transmitted in any way to the body.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the drawing and description.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a part elevational and part sectional view of a device illustrative of one form of the invention with the pit being gripped preparatory to severing it from the half with which it is adhered.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view along line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a slightly modified form of the invention.

In detail, a stationary frame 1 may be provided, supporting a shaft 2 rigid therewith. This shaft may be square, or the equivalent, to prevent rotation of elements thereon, but preventing their rotation.

Slidable on said shaft 2 longitudinally of the latter is a frusto-conical member 3, which, insofar as this invention is concerned may be polysided or generally pyramidal rather than a true cone.

At the larger diameter end of member 3 and coaxial therewith is a collar 4, connected with said cone for slidable movement therewith on said shaft, said collar being formed with outwardly opening recesses 5 at opposite sides for reception of inwardly directed pins 6 on the ends of a yoke 7.

2,818,098 Patented Dec. 31, 1957 Yoke 7 has an arm 8 integrally connected therewith, and this arm is pivoted at 9 to any suitable bracket or bearing 10 that is ngid relative to frame 1.

A foot pedal 11 or any other suitable actuating means is pivotally connected to arm 8 by link 12 so that depression of said pedal will effect swinging of said arm 8 and a sliding of member 3 on shaft 2 away from frame 1. A spring 13 may connect yoke 7 with said frame 1 or bracket 10 or any other element that is rigid with said frame for returning the member 3 after pressure on the pedal or treadle 11 is relieved.

Secured on shaft 2 at the side of the member 3 opposite the collar 4 are radially projecting forks 15 (preferably four at equally spaced points on a circle concentric with the longitudinal axis of shaft 2). An arm 16 extends between each fork and is pivoted thereto by a pivot 17'.

Arms 16 are equal in length and pivots 17 are at corresponding points along said arms intermediate their ends. One of the ends of said arms is in engagement with the outer conical surface of member 3, and the other ends of said arms carry fruit gripping elements 17 substantially as disclosed in said Patent No. 2,664,127. Springs 18 connect the arms at points adjacent to said member 3 to maintain the ends of the arms that are at said member in yielclable engagement with the outer sides of the latter.

Thus upon pressing downwardly on the foot treadle 11 the member 3 will be moved along the shaft 1 causing the fruit gripping members 17 to move toward the axis of said shaft and into fruit gripping relation for gripping the body 20 of the drupe.

In the drawing, the body 20 of the drupe is indicated as being one half of the drupe itself to which the pit 21 is adhered. In Fig. 1, only one half of a pit is shown, but as seen in Fig. 3, the invention is equally suited where the whole pit 22 is present.

Above and coaxial with shaft 2 is an upper shaft 24 that is supported for rotation in bearings 25 that in turn are secured to a rigid frame 26 which may be part of frame 1.

A collar 27 between bearings 25 is secured to shaft 24, thus the collar will function as a thrust bearing.

A projection 28 on collar 27 extends laterally outwardly and downwardly or toward the drupe 20, and pivotally secured to the end of said projection is a lever 29 that extends past shaft 24 and which lever is enlarged and slotted at 30 to pass said shaft. Thus lever 29 may be termed the actuating means for actuating the mechanism that grips the pit 21.

Below said lever or handle and on shaft 21 is a collar 31 that has an upper cam surface adapted to be engaged by said enlarged and slotted portion 30 so that downward swinging of handle 29 will move collar 31 downwardly along the shaft 24.

Below collar 31 is a spring 33 that is around shaft 24, said spring being adapted to react between collar 31 and an annular element 34 that is below said spring and which element is also slidable on shaft 24 longitudinally of the latter and which may be splined to said shaft.

This element 34 is formed with equally spaced pairs of opposed ears 35 therearound, there being four such pairs shown in the drawing. Between each pair of ears is flie upper end of a link 36, which upper end is pivotally connected to each pair of cars as at 37.

The lower end of each link 36 is pivotally connected at 38 to a jaw arm 39 intermediate the ends of each such jaw arm. The upper end of each jaw arm 39 in turn is pivotally connected to shaft 24 as indicated (Fig. 1).

The lower end of each jaw arm 39 carries the jaw 40. Each jaw 40 is formed with a radially inwardly facing notch 41 (relative to the common axis of shafts 3 1, 24) and the lower side of each such notch forms a radially inwardly directed point 42.

The radially inwardly facing sides of the notch jaw on each jaw arm is roughened or grooved (Fig. 2) as at 44, and the lowermost end of shaft 24 terminates in a roughened axially facing end formed with teeth or serrations 45.

A flexible coupling 47 may be positioned at each of the opposite sides of the shaft 24 to connect the portion 30 of handle 29 with the annular element 34 so that upon upward movement of the handle 29 the element 34 will also be elevated, but said members will hingedly swing to permit transmission of force through spring 33 upon downward movement of the handle 29. Any suitable stop on one of the links of each coupling will prevent their stopping at dead center.

In. operation, when spring 13 pulls the collar 4 and conical member 3 downwardly, the gripping elements 17 will swing outwardly and downwardly and when handle 29 is swung upwardly the jaws 40 will be pulled outwardly and upwardly so that the body 20 can be positioned on a yieldable receiving cup 50 that is yieldably supported by spring 51 on shaft 2 for downward movement so that the pit will be positioned below the shaft 24 and in yieldable engagement with the points 45 on the lower end of the shaft 24.

Upon pressing downwardly on the foot treadle the elements 17 will tightly grip the body 20 and upon moving handle 29 downwardly the jaws 40 will tightly grip the pit (21 or 22) at equally spaced points around the latter and in the plane of the suture of the pit. Upon swinging handle 29 laterally to rotate shaft 24 the gripped pit will be rotated thus shearing the flesh of body 20 from the pit.

it is obvious that changes and modifications may be made; therefore the detailed description is not intended to be restrictive of the invention to the precise details shown. The important feature is that the pit is gripped around its peripheral edge for turning or rotation relative to the body, and no crushing force is applied to the pit so as to objectionably crush the body. However, the application of suflicient tension against the midportion of body 20 by the cup 50 is desirable so that the body will not move away from the pit during rotation of the latter.

I claim:

I. The method of removing the exposed half pit from the pit cavity in the cut face of a generally hemispherical half body of a bisected whole clingstone peach that comprises the steps of; firmly holding said half body by its outer curved surface along a line spaced from and substantially concentric with the central axis of said half and pit that is perpendicular to said cut face, gripping said pit across its edges at spaced points therearound by pressure directed substantially radially of said axis and at the same time engaging the exposed surface of said pit that is between said edges and then rotating said pit relative to said body to free said pit from said body.

2. The method of removing the exposed half pit from the pit cavity in the cut face of a generally hemispherical half body of a clingstone peach that comprises the steps of; firmly holding said half body against rotation about its central axis that is perpendicular to said cut face, engaging the peripheral outer edge of said half pit with a radially directed pressure toward said axis and then moving said pit relative to said half body while the pit is under the influence of said pressure and at the same time holding said pit on its exposed side and radially inwardly of its said edge against collapse or breakage under the influence of said pressure.

3. The method of removing the exposed pit from the pit cavity in the cut face of the half body of a whole clingstone peach that comprises the steps of; applying a pit holding pressure against the edges of said pit in a direction substantially radially inwardly relative to the central axis of said half body that is perpendicular to said cut face, and at the same time directly engaging the exposed side of said pit within the confines of the outline of its edge for holding the portion within said confines against collapse under said pressure, holding said half body against its curved outer surface along a line concentric with said axis and spaced radially outwardly therefrom against rotation of said half body relative to said axis and then moving said pit relative to said body to free said pit from said body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 474,901 Carter May 17, 1892 666,701 Scheidler et al. Jan. 29, 1901 1,441,490 Duncan Jan. 9, 1923 1,930,937 Kent et al Oct. 17, 1933 2,277,711 Nawman Mar. 31, 1942 2,407,126 Ashlock Sept. 3, 1946 2,652,872 Keesling Sept. 22, 1953 

